Various elements when reduced to monoatomic 2D layers show extraordinary properties not present in multi-layers or bulk materials.
Graphene is probably the most studied material of this class but others 2D materials are emerging and attracting a lot of interest in the scientific and industrial community. Despite the great scientific relevance and application potential for 2D materials, viable production technologies for mass production of high quantities or large area 2D layers are still challenging or in development.
IJD has proven as alternative to overcome the intrinsic technological difficulties in manufacturing monoatomic layers in industrially relevant sizes. A new research work by IMEM CNR institute in Trento (Italy) demonstrated an IJD enabled coating process to produce MoS2 thin layers with single layer properties on large area substrates.
The IJD deposited films shows thicknesses of more than 100 nm and remarkably display 2D electronic and optical properties. This behavior has been obtained thanks to the encapsulated 2D MoS2 (single or few layers) in an amorphous MoS2 matrix. The samples exhibit a bandgap of 1.86 eV and well-resolved photo-luminescence spectra with an excitonic linewidth of less than 10 meV.
This result represents a breakthrough towards the large-scale and affordable production of 2D-like materials.
This research work has been published open-access on NPJ 2D materials and applications:
Timpel, M., Ligorio, G., Ghiami, A. et al. 2D-MoS2 goes 3D: transferring optoelectronic properties of 2D MoS2 to a large-area thin film. npj 2D Mater Appl 5, 64 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41699-021-00244-x
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41699-021-00244-x